US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, family get Covid despite safeguards

Washington, February 19

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced on Friday that he and his young family have Covid despite their best efforts to avoid infection by getting vaccinated and taking other precautions.

Writing on Twitter, America’s doctor said, “When you’ve been as safe as you can, getting COVID-19 can be frustrating and disappointing. I’ve felt that. It can also be a source of shame. Many people assume you must have been careless to get sick. Our safety measures reduce risk but they can’t eliminate risk. Nothing can.”

As new cases and hospitalisations plummet, and deaths have finally started to decline, the Murthy family’s bout with Covid calls attention to the real risks of a virus that many people assume is finally on the way out.

Murthy, a regular participant at White House Covid task force briefings, said he and his wife, physician and political activist Dr Alice Chen, have mild symptoms. She has a headache and fatigue, and he said he was dealing with muscle aches, chills, and a sore throat.

“Our breathing is fine, thankfully,” he wrote.

Murthy, his wife and their five-year-old son are vaccinated and boosted. Their four-year-old daughter is too young to be eligible for vaccination.

The kids are coping, Murthy wrote.

Murthy was not present at Wednesday’s White House Covid briefing. The White House said Murthy had not had any recent contact with President Joe Biden, and that Covid was not the reason for Murthy’s absence from the briefing.